The Adopted prince
by SwordvsShield
Summary: Link is the adopted prince of hyrule, what happens when a certain servant girl with a tragic past comes into his life. Can he trust her? ZeLink
1. The war

The adopted prince

War is a terrible thing, so much death, so much pain, and so much anger. This is what Impa thought of war as she dodged a strike from the enemy Gerudo soldier, grabbing his arm and shattering it on her strong knee. The man cried out in pain as Impa feels a presence behind her and throws a Shiekah star that pierced the enemy warrior in the heart. Three long years of war culminating in this final battle, Impa spots her king fighting with the ferocity of a Wolfos, clashing swords with the Gerudo general. It is then, that moment that Impa notices a cowardly Gerudo sneaking up behind her mighty king so she propels herself forward, jumping on the heads of enemy soldiers.

Impa screams, "BEHIND YOU MY KING!" as he gives the final blow to his opponent quickly turns around, and in just enough time to block the Gerudos dagger meant for his heart. Impa then took out her katana and stabbed the enemy straight through his heart.

Scouting the battlefield as the soldiers of Hyrule started to cheer heartily, finally the long war that has ravaged Hyrule's people for so long has come to an end. Impa hears a faint cry in the distance, she follows the cry to a burning house, a women holding an infant in her arms with a mortal wound in her chest stumbles out of the inferno. the women gasps in desperation at Impa's figure not fully aware of who it was due to the sheer agony she was feeling, the women crawls to Impa pleading for her to save her child.

"Please save my baby" her breathing was shallow indicating she did not have long to live impa nodded in respect and picked up the child. The women she then collapsed onto her back and with her final breath she said "his...name...is...link" with tears in her eyes her body became still. Impa said a prayer to the Goddesses for the women, bending down with 2 fingers closing the women's eyes.

holding the baby in her arms she smiled "I will protect you link all the days of your life you have my word as a shiekah"

she arrived at Hyrule castle with the baby she had an idea she would take the baby to the king, because the queen could never have children she would give the boy to her queen to raise and become her own.

As she walked to through the gaint doors of the throne room she looked around to see guards posted all around the room they all looked very tired from the long battle

They kings booming voice filled the room "Guards leave us you fought well."

the guards gave one last cheer lead by Captain Auru before leaving, Impa looked at her king he was still in his armor, the once gleaming and beautiful armor had now been stained red with blood.

"Ah impa what do you have there in your arms"

her eyes immediately focused on the king and queen,

"my lord and lady after the battle i heard a cry and i found this baby his mother dead shortly after i found them.

the king nodded and motioned for her to come closer, as she got to the kings throne he stood up and looked at the boy he gave a nod and motioned to his wife to come close as she did she gasped the baby had the symbol of the Triforce on his hand which could only signify that he was chosen by the Gods to be the vessel of such a power.

the king looked at Impa " Impa i think we shall raise this boy as our own as my wife cannot have children this child will become our heir"

Impa nodded "my lord i wish to be his protector"

the king nodded before handing the boy to his wife

"kneel"

Impa nodded doing as her king commanded of her

"impa as of this day you will be this the boy's guardian and protector do you understand?"

nodding she rose and bowed to the king.

The king stopped and asked Impa what the boy's name shall be

"his name is Link"...

13 years later...

link was walking through the dimly lit castle halls it was very early in the morning the sun has just started to rise into the sky, he was to meet Impa to start his training in the way of the sword passing several guards on his way to the courtyard he the captain of the guard Auru his armor looked like it was newly polished as the sun gleamed of its surface Auru was an older man that had a Mohawk with white hair but his body was far from old he was tall and muscular and had a battle cry that would instill fear into his foe's

he turned to look at Aura "hello Auru how are you on this fine morning"

the captain turned and smiled at the young prince and bowed low "Ah prince Link i am doing very well your highness I was admiring the rising sun it has a mystical charm to it"

link gave a heavy sigh before replying "Auru please just call me Link all that royal talk is way to formal" scratching his head before laughing

Auru gave a chuckle and gave Link a playful pat on shoulder " Link you attitude always seems to lighten the tense mood around the castle i thank you for that"

Link smiled at that and nodded walking towards the courtyard where his teacher Impa was waiting the courtyard was very dense with trees and shrubbery,

link enjoyed coming her but also dreaded it, he enjoyed it because of the natural beauty, but dreaded it because it gave Impa plenty of places to hide and test his abilities,

link's training was difficult but that didn't stop him, ever since he was little he had warriors spirit, he looked at a pool near the middle the courtyard which a statue of the three goddesses, Din, Nayru and Farore sat upon.

In the middle of the statue they were all holding up the Triforce, the scared power of the goddesses left behind to bring peace and prosperity to the world they created.

Link then looked at his reflection in the pool, he was a very handsome young prince, he had dirty blond hair that was quite unruly, he had blue eyes the color of sapphires, And his face was a very rare kind of handsome, very majestic but also very mischievous.

he smiled before walking past the arch the lead to where Impa was waiting patiently, humming a song she always hummed to link to help him sleep when he was little, she called it Epona's song.

she turned around as link got close to her and smiled warmly "Hello link are you ready to get started with you lesson"

link simply nodded and got into fighting position

Impa gave him a nod before handing him a wooden sword

"well then let's begin"

Links POV: as Impa charged at me I got ready to block but she disappeared and I felt a sharp pain in my side I looked back to see Impa "well I see your a little slow this morning let's fix that shall we?"

I grinned as a certain fire was beginning to burn within me

"I am ready now" getting in my sword stance that Impa taught me leaving no point open.

she nodded in approval before thrust her wooden sword to my chest I side-stepped and lunged at her, my sword being blocked by hers with a thud, we exchanged blows both waiting for an opening.

I was beginning to tire I jumped and held my sword with two hands and shouted "HIYAAAHH" but to my horror Impa was there I quickly turned around but it was too late her blade swept my legs from under me.

Hitting the ground hard my breath was forced out of my lungs grunting in pain I quickly got to my feet and charged her but she shifted her body around my sword punching me in the face sending me to the ground.

"Get up Link I know you can do better than that" the fire burning in me grew and my body became numb with adrenaline.

"Ok Impa time to show you a new move I have been practicing". her eyes showed a hint of surprise but vanished quickly as she got in her fighting stance with her sword behind her back, blade pointing up behind her head. I got into my stance knees bent blade straight out at my side i smirked charging I ran at her and as I expected she jumped

"SPIN ATTACK!" I leapt into the air twirling my body around in a three hundred and sixty degree spin hitting her multiple times she landed on the ground dropped to her knee and smirked "nice move but it needs work" my body when limp and I fell to the ground exhausted my vision blurred and I heard Impa calling my name.

I heard screaming there was fire so much fire there was a women and a man in a house the main was a swordsman he stood in front of his wife and child as if to protect her then there was an evil man with red eyes and green skin when he spoke I shivered " give me the boy and i will spare your life I must have an heir to carry out my plans"

the swordsmen held out his sword and said "Over my dead body you monster"

the evil man smirked and laughed "heheheh do you honestly think you can stop me you pathetic soldier I am the great demon king Ganon what hope could you have to defeat me?"

"more hope than you think, he then turned to his wife Cerina take our boy and run I will be right behind you"

the women cried before saying "NO Traye I cant leave you!"

"You must ill hold him off get our son to safety that is all that matters"

she nodded slowly before running away with the boy

the evil man growled before commanding his men to chase after her "Gron, Galeo after them now!"

they nodded before chasing after her but they did not get far Traye thrust his shield brutally into Grons face knocking him back then quickly slicing his knees before he could recover bringing him down with a final blow to his heart the man breathed his last breath. Traye spun on his heel and blocked Galeo's greatsword with his shield then smashing the butt of his weapon into his hand crushing it and making Galeo drop the sword screaming in pain Traye then sunk his blade in the man's shoulder killing him instantly breathing heavy he glared at the two dead men "no one hurts my family" his victory was short lived as blade was pierced through his armor letting out a scream before dropping to his knees

"Link, Cerina i am so sorry"

3rd person pov:

Link gasped as he woke up but a gentle yet firm hand laid him back down he looked over to see impa smiling at him but her eyes held worry.

"It's ok link I am here, you fell unconscious during our practice session are you alright?

link hugged impa tightly and began to sob heavily "Impa it was terrible fire and death so much death."

Impa grimaced and held him close humming epona's song, "it's ok little one I'm here... I'm here rocking him back and forth.

link looks up at his guardian and second mother "Impa i saw them, I saw my birth parents they fought so hard to protect me I remember their names my mother's was named Cerina and my father's name was Traye, they fought so hard against an evil man"

Impa mentally recalled the evil man's name... Ganon.

Hello everyone thank you for reading the beginning of my story read and review and tell me if you want to skip ahead three years or not thanks for the support


	2. The present

3 years later links pov:

Three long years of hard training and schooling... I am now a warrior prince of 16 my protector Impa woke me up this morning telling me my father was looking for me, sighed before getting up and walking to my dresser which had a large mirror I looked at myself my training has transformed my once lanky and weak body into a strong muscular one not too much as to be repulsive but enough that any girl would double take I would be lying if I said I wasn't proud of my hard work but along with the results came the cuts, bruises and broken bones.

Impa might be a tough trainer but i thank her for it, she is my protector but if the day comes she is not here i must be able to protect myself and my kingdom just like my father the king walking through the halls of the castle gave me a chance to think about my life and what my birth parents were like I've dreamt about them many nights of my life but I would not cry as a student of a Shiekah and a loyal friend whom i consider a second mother I would control my emotions and be strong some would call it hardened but I call it disciplined.

As I arrived in my father's throne room he was talking to someone so I closed the door and leant against a pillar waiting until my father's business was concluded unfortunately my father called for me before I could relax my body stiffened if this business involved me then i remember my birthday was tomorrow I would become of age to marry i knew my father had a plan for my in that regard

" Ah Link my son come here please"

I did as I was told and walked up to bow to my father he nodded and told me to rise

"Link this is Silena dragmire Ganondorfs daughter lord of the Gerudos" I glanced at Impa she was tense like she didn't trust her but why?

"it's is my pleasure lady silena" I said bowing she simply nodded I guess Gerudo women are too proud to bow to men.

" it is an honor your highness " she said with a smile.

My father stood up and placed a giant hand on my shoulder

"Son seeing as how your birthday is tomorrow I decided to invite the Dragmires to Hyrule to discuss a treaty"

i gave my father a scowl before replying curtly in a hushed tone "But father you know the terrible things they have done to this kingdom i do not trust them."

My father gave me a harsh look clearly disappointed "i know this brings up some bad memories for you Link but if we sign a treaty it will be peace to this kingdom as the king i must do anything I can to make that a reality, if i can prevent more bloodshed then i must give peace a chance".

I grimaced before replying behind gritted teeth "as you wish your majesty"

He turned to the Gerudo women

"Now Silena tell your father I will accept his offer to make a peace treaty we will discuss it more when you arrive in one month"

Silena nodded before giving a shrill whistle "Guard bring in the prince's gift"

I heard the sound of quiet feet before two female Gerudo warriors appeared one with a rope on her hands on the other end of that rope was a cloaked figure.

Silena turned to me and gave me a smile "my lord this is for you"

she walked over to the shape who cringed as Silena got close this was a sign of whatever was under that cloak had been beaten severely when she removed the hood there was a blonde women about my age with blue eyes she looked frightened I felt sorry for her

Silena smiled proudly before saying "this is you new servant she will obey your every command without question, we have trained her to be silent unless spoken to so she is the perfect slave for a prince"

Even though I didn't show it I was angry with these Gerudo's have they no respect for something as precious of life these barbaric people have taken away my birth mother and father all because of greed now they are enslaving innocent women.

Although my emotions protested otherwise I had to thank one of these murderous, villainous the princess no less who was no better than the rest of her people all for the sake of public appearance

I took another look at the slave girl before walking up to her slowly whispering into her ear

"what is your name girl?".

the young yet beautiful girl trembled and flinched at the close proximity but replied shakily "Zelda your highness"

I nodded to her before walking back to my own throne " thank you for this gift princess Silena we will be looking forward to your company in a month's time"

The princess nodded before whistling to her guards who followed her out.

I glared daggers at my father "I can't believe these barbaric people im taking my servant to my quarters do you object father?".

"No my son you may go" I nodded before walking to Zelda taking out my dagger she started to quiver

"it's ok Zelda I am just cutting your bonds please follow me" she nodded silently keeping her head down as we exited the the door i looked to Impa with sad eyes.

"Impa..."

"I know link go to your chambers I will have a discussion with your father

As we got to my chambers I sat down on my bed sighing heavily who knew being royalty was so hard so many horrible sights you need to witness and decisions you must face.

I took off my Hylian shield and sword as well as the chainmail, i looked to my new servant Zelda I despised that word id prefer her to be my friend as a prince I didn't have friends to play with.

"Zelda come here please"

She did as she was told her clothes were tattered and covered in dirt as was the rest of her body i felt sorry for her

"Zelda would you like to have a bath?"

For the first time since she has been her she lifted her head up and nodded "that would be delightful your highne- "please just call me Link titles don't sit right with me i am hoping we could be friends rather than master and servant"

Zelda's eyes began to glimmer with a hint of happiness but soon faded

"Now about that bath, Nora please come here for a moment"

I heard footsteps of my family care taker Nora she was a kind women in her late twenties with black hair and green eyes she wore the traditional maid clothing but she really liked the color blue so all her clothing was blue per her request

she smiled before bowing " how my I be of service Link?"

I grinned at her before replying "Nora please take this new girl to get cleaned up she has had a very tough first day and i want her to feel comfortable"

" yes my lord come with me honey gently helping Zelda to her feet and motioning her to follow

Zelda's POV: I wasn't sure what to make of my new master he seems very kind but i need to be wary royals can be unpleasant sometimes when my master offered me the chance to get cleaned up my heart jumped.

Nora led me down the hallways of the castle is sure was big I would get lost if I didn't have someone to show me around

Nora turned around and said "so honey I see you've met our young prince handsome isn't he, he has a very kind heart you are lucky to be given to him, he will never harm you so you can relax I know that you are frightened but let's get you a bath and get you to bed as I am sure your exhausted from your trip"

After my bath Nora got me some clothes and lead me to a room across from my masters before i went to sleep thought I wanted to see my master and wish him goodnight out of respect and loyalty my mother told me if you are loyal to your master they will reward you and be happy with you

I jumped out of my bed and walked to my master's room i was still nervous the look he gave my previous master scared me but I breathed out a sigh before knocking on the door ever so gently

My master told me to come in I saw him laying on his bed reading i book i felt a sense of dread

"Oh no master I am so sorry to disturb you I should go" getting flustered and frightened with the consequences I have wrought onto myself but before I could leave he grabbed my arm rather gently as if holding something extremely delicate it was almost graceful in a way.

"Please stay Zelda I need someone to talk to reading can pass the time but it is boring" he gave me such a charming smile I felt my face heat up, why am I getting like this, He is extremely handsome and those musc- NO! I scolded myself I should not be thinking such things

"yes master" nodding gratefully

He scratched his head smiling "please call me Link, Zelda as I have said before id much prefer you as a friend then a servant please come sit and talk to me"

I nodded once again blushing "So maste-Link what is it like being royalty I've heard it is grand"

He shrugged" I guess I've lived it for so long it feels normal but it can be very sad and lonely many people fear me others love me but I just want someone I can talk to y'know?, someone who can understand my loneliness"

I nodded, loneliness is the one emotion that is the hardest to deal with " Link... when i was a slave to the Gerudo's I never had the chance of making friends as well and i feel honored that you want to be my friend, thank you for your kindness"

He smiled " well then first thing tomorrow I am going to show you the castle ground we can talk more tomorrow thank you for coming to see me Zelda.

I got up and curtseyed my mas-... my friend It felt good to have a friend

"That would be delightful link, I overheard that tomorrow is your birthday am I correct?

He smiled and nodded "yes it is very observant of you Zelda" I blushed as he said my name the way said it gave me Goosebumps, why am I feeling like this?. is he some kind of wizard casting a spell on me...no this feels different, far more enchanting than any spell blissful even

I smiled before replying "well then I'll be sure to make you something special tomorrow for your birthday link"

He scratched his head a few times before saying "Zelda you don't have to do that I'm fine with just being in your company"

I smiled sweetly "But I feel like it Link I have finally found a friend and i will enjoy doing for you"

Link seemed at a loss for words i noticed a blush adorn his handsome features it made him look very cute

"Thank you Zelda I appreciate it now you should get some sleep we have a big day ahead of us

I giggled happily "Goodnight link"

Link chuckled " Goodnight Zelda

**Alright another chapter finished special thanks to my first two reviewers you inspired me to write more so thank you please R and R hope you enjoy my story have a lot of ideas for the next chapters i will try to update once a day to every two days thank you for the support. if anyone is interested i am also looking for beta reader/proof reader PM me if you're interested :)**


	3. Happy Birthday Link

Impa's POV:

I was sitting on one of the ballista's on the castle ramparts admiring the sunrise I then thought about link and his new servant.

he seemed very angry with the Gerudo princess for enslaving an innocent girl, I was proud of the man he has grown up to be, not only has he excelled at the training I have given him but he has matured exponentially both in strength and confidence, he will be great king some day one which I will gladly serve to the end of my days.

It might just be motherly instinct to protect him but I feel we share a far deeper bond then anyone can possibly realize.

Sitting up and wiping the dust off my armor it was made out of Wolfos leather strong and study but light enough so I do not loose mobility, I leapt on top of the wall and scouted my surrounds, it looked quiet peaceful.

"Let's hope it stays that way for a long time to come" I thought to myself, with that I jumped and gracefully scaled down the wall. When I got to the ground I remember it was Link's birthday today. I had an idea of something special I could do for him, once I arrived at Link's room I lightly knocked on the door...no answer

"I suppose I will have to wake him up"

As I opened the door I saw the prince sleeping soundly, I didn't want to wake him but we had to practice every day to keep him in shape, I walked slowly over to his bed and shook him

"mmphh Impa it's too early" he whined

I gave a soft chuckle

"Come on sleepy head. Time to train, you can sleep later" He gave a low growl before sitting up, his hair all over the place from the way he slept on it

"Get cleaned up and meet me in the courtyard in 10 minutes don't be late or I will make you run laps" his eyes snapped open in horror before replying "B-but I'm the prince you wouldn't"

"Oh no? You won't be getting any special treatment from me Link, so make like a Shiekah warrior and vanish to the bathroom"

He gulped before running as fast as he could to the bathroom

Links pov: Curse that Impa, I was having a nice dream for the first time in a week and she has to go and ruin it. You would think since it was my birthday that I would get some sympathy from her but no chance. I grumbled to myself as I got out of the shower.

As I put my gear on, which consisted of my sword, shield, chain mail greaves, and arm guards, I felt a presence behind me.

By force of habit my hand flew to my sword and I turned around quickly.

"I-I'm sorry, master." The nervous girl said in a rush, taking a few steps back.

I relaxed, my hand leaving the hilt of my sword and moving up to scratch the back of my head. I gave her a smile, hoping to calm her down.

"Sorry about that, Zelda. It's a bit of a habit when someone sneaks up on me." _Thanks Impa, nearly scared the girl half to death because of the reflexes you ingrained in me._ "How'd you do that by the way? Sneak up on me, I mean."

Her eyes were still wide and she was still stuttering. _Man, I really freaked her out_. "I-I just walked in, master. I wasn't trying to-"

"Link. Remember? Just call me Link."

I thought I saw the faintest smile on her face, but just for a moment. _Maybe I was finally getting somewhere._

"So how was your first night and morning here?"

I could tell that Zelda was visibly less tense, getting slightly more comfortable. She took a moment to think about her response. "It was…nice." There was definitely a small smile there now. "Nora came by early to show me where I could find some things in the castle, she was very helpful."

"I'm glad to hear it. Maybe I can show you the rest of the castle grounds today." She nodded with a happy glint in her eyes. "I don't have anything for you to do at the moment. You could find Nora, and see if she needs help with anything or you could just get more settled in."

"Actually, Impa came by and wanted me to tell you that you were late. She didn't tell me what you'd be late for, but I was hoping you would know what she was talking about."

My heart dropped. _Impa. I got sidetracked and Impa is going to kill me. How long have we been talking?_

"Link?" Zelda's voice grounded me and I set into motion.

"Let's go, Zelda!" I ran past her and stopped at my door, she still stood where she was before looking very confused.

"Where—"

"Hurry! I'm late, let's go let's go!" With that I turned and started running down the hall. I knew it was rude to just leave her standing there but I would rather apologize to her later than face the wrath of Impa during training. I heard the soft patter of someone running after me. I looked over my shoulder to see Zelda following me. Zelda was a good runner, she was able to keep pace with me as I sped through the halls and out to the training yards. We didn't stop running until I was face to face with Impa, who was leisurely leaning on a fence with effortlessly throwing knives into a target fifteen paces away with deadly aim. With my hands on my knees, my breathing was slightly heavy, I looked over at Zelda. Her cheeks were faintly flushed and she was breathing harder than normal but not as hard as I would have thought after our little run.

Impa pushed off of the fence and threw her last knife. It hit the target dead center with a satisfying thud. "You are late." She said to me.

I stood up straighter and smiled apologetically, "Yeah, I know." I didn't really have anything to say, so I accepted it.

"Fifty push-ups." She said.

I dropped to the floor, not wasting any time and maybe having her change her mind to running laps.

_Fifty? That wasn't that bad._

At number eight, something heavy landed on my upper back. My arms buckled and I was lying on the dirt. I heard a muffled giggle from somewhere behind me. I pushed off the ground and started where I left off. When I hit thirty, Impa dropped another sandbag on me.

"Best. Birthday. Ever." I said between push-ups. Luckily Impa didn't hear me or she may have added another bag.

**Fifty pushups later...**

As I finished my pushups I looked to Impa she nodded "Have a nice warm up?" fearing of the consequence of doing more I decided to refrain from any snide remarks and nodded

"Now it's time for your lesson today we will be focusing on making you more agile if you are too slow it could mean death in a fight do you understand?"

"Yes Impa!"

"Good now to start I will be using wooden dowels as projectiles think of it as me using my Shiekah star's on you, one hit will mean death. If you can avoid at least fifteen out of the thirty dowels we will move on to sword play"

I nodded happily I am far better with a sword but I agree that speed is vital to being a deadly warrior

"now link prepare yourself"

the first one hit me right in the leg i grunted painfully even though they are blunt they still sting because of Impa's skill

"Remember Link, you must clear your mind in order to anticipate where the projectile will hit then act accordingly.

I nodded and prepared myself for the next wave I closed my eyes to feel the energy of the projectile. Back flip, duck, jump, roll, block, and front flip. Out of thirty projectiles that were thrown only ten of them hit their mark, they may sting but at least I am making progress a few bruises is the price to pay to become a better warrior.

My breathing was shallow my muscles ached but I am still ready for more training and I know Impa would not let me off that easily not even for my birthday.

Impa smiled before allowing me to get a drink from the fountain before continuing "Good job link you certainly are becoming more attuned to the ways of the shiekah"

I smiled before replying "Well I do have a strong teacher"

Impa nodded before tossing a smoke bomb on the ground.

Zelda POV: As the smoke cleared Impa has lounging on top of the castle wall as I looked around the courtyard I noticed carved wooden soldiers all around link.

His face expressed slight shook before pulling out his sword getting ready for sword practice he then looked to Impa

"Now Link, let's see how rusty your sword arm has become since yesterday hmm? First let's start off with the standard horizontal slice"

Link nodded before charging with great speed before giving a mighty slice severing the wooden soldiers head from its shoulders.

"Well looks like you may have remembered a bit from yesterday" Impa joked

I giggled causing Link to turn to me with a face of mock shock before replying "it seems I have. Impa, what would you have me do next since you seem keen on embarrassing me so?"

Impa chuckled "Very well Link, show me how you would handle these soldiers?"

Link smirked "gladly" all I saw was a blur of green and white speed past me before Link appeared behind me twirling his sword and sheathing it in a confident manner.

I then turned back to see every wooden soldier sliced into multiple pieces

I gasped before turning to Link before exclaiming "REMIND ME NOT TO GET ON YOUR BAD SIDE!"

Link gave a chuckle before scratching his head shyly "I might've over done it a little today"

Impa then leapt from her perched and patted Link on the shoulder "maybe just a little bit, are you ready for our last part of the training?"

Link paled a bit before replying " UH-OH!"

Links POV:

We usually finished training off with a bit of sparring this was my least favorite part of training because I would usually get quite a few cuts and bruises from it. Today Impa had a little extra something for this spar. She called out and four soldiers came up. Impa laid out the rules for the spar. I would be fighting the four of them at the same time, no weapons, attempt to avoid the face, try to hold back anything excessive, and no cheap-shots. No weapons, so I started to take off my gear. The chainmail is last to come off, I realize my shirt is thoroughly drenched and decide not to put it back on.

"Happy birthday, Link." Impa called out to me and I could hear the smile in her voice.

"Thank you Impa, I can see you are going easy on me today."

"Well I wouldn't want you to be too tired for the rest of your day today."

Impatient. Soldier number one came at me, not waiting for anyone. I was able to easily fend off his blows. A second soldier stepped in while I was still dealing with the first. The first threw a punch; I stepped to my left and pushed his punch away while the second guard tried to get me with a kick. I grabbed his leg, spun enough to throw him off balance and pushed him into the first soldier, sending them both to the ground. When the two were stumbling to get up I rushed the third guard. We exchanged hits, landing a few on each other. While I was busy with him the fourth guard came at me. I was able to send him to the ground but soldier three took that small opening and gave a solid kick to my side that sent me to my knees. The third attacker was the most formidable of the four, but still nothing I couldn't handle. While I was low to the ground I spun and swiped the third and fourth guard's legs sending the both to the ground.

Impa _was_ going easy on me. These men didn't know how to work together, and had they known how then I would have had a much more difficult time fighting them. They came at me spontaneously, which certainly kept me on my toes but was not something that was very difficult to dodge or counter.

The fight continued on, each guard successfully landing a few hits on me. Luckily I was faster than all of them, and better trained, and managed to slowly take out each guard.

When I had knocked down the last man, Impa jumped in, surprising me. She gave a hard shove to my chest, sending me to the floor. I rolled and was on my feet in a fluid motion. My back burned from the scratches earned from the ground and I wished I had my shirt on.

"Not. Fair." I said between breathes.

"An enemy pays no mind to fairness." My movements were becoming sluggish and I was barely holding her off. "Your fatigue is a weakness that they can and will exploit." To slow, she got a partial kick to my side. I grit my teeth and pressed forward. Enough defense. I could see a small smile playing at her lips as I began to make the shift to offense. "There!" she exclaimed with pride in her voice. "Resilience." I was still too slow, she was doing well to block my advances and I had only landed one punch. "Fight with everything you have." And I certainly did. "Never give up." I didn't. I managed to land six more blows on Impa before she had me pinned to the ground.

"You worked very hard today, Link. It is paying off well, and I am both pleased and impressed by your skill." I grunted in response. Impa's weight was off of me but I stayed on the ground, eyes closed and breathing heavily. She really worked me hard today.

Impa offered me a hand which I gladly took seeing as how is was still in quite a bit of pain from today's session which I am sure I would be feeling in the morning. Impa may not be very heavy but she puts so much force behind her attacks that you wouldn't want to get up after going a round or two with her, must be a shiekah thing I thought to myself.

"That was a great training session Impa, I learned quite bit today both about myself and about teamwork"

Impa smiled proudly at me

As I was about to turn to go meet Zelda, Impa stopped me I gave her a confused look

"Hold on, you didn't think I wouldn't have a gift for you did you?"

She reached into her pocket before producing a pair of earrings. The earring had a symbol in the shape of an eye was crimson with a single tear streaming down the middle lining the symbol was pure gold which sparkled in the sunlight.

I gasped "Impa I-I I can't thank you enough these are magnificent"

Impa smiled before pulling me into her arms in a firm but loving embrace

"You have made me so proud Link, you are the son I never had, in my tribe these earring signify manhood, you have become a true Shiekah apprentice."

I was at a loss for words but settled for "Thank you Impa...for everything"

Impa smiled before letting me go "Link, enjoy your birthday, you deserve it" then motioning to Zelda.

My joy gave me a second wind of energy and I was ready for the rest of the day. Well, almost. I was in desperate need of another shower. I walked over to Zelda with a happy grin still plastered on my face. I showed her my new earrings and she commented that they were very nice and a fitting gift from Impa.

"Hey Zelda, before I show you around, I really need to get cleaned up." She gave a soft laugh and agreed. We began the walk back to my room and kept light conversation while there were some moments of silence, it was comfortable. We were almost to my room and I was fumbling trying to put the earrings in.

"Where is that stupid hole?" I mumbled under my breath while trying to put an earring in my right ear.

"Do you need some help?" I turned to see Zelda who was trying to hide a small smile.

I sighed, the earrings defeated me. "Yes actually." I stopped walking and opened my hand, holding the earrings out to her. I leaned forward just a little so that she didn't have to reach up so far to get to my ears. Very easily she found the small hole and fastened the earring, moving on to my other ear.

"There." She said. I thanked her. "You're welcome, ma—" I gave her a half-glare, "Link."

We continued on to my room. I grabbed a set of new clothes, something nice for today, and Zelda went to find me a towel.

"Here you go, master." She said as she handed me to towel.

"Zelda." I groaned, "Really, just call me Link. It just seems..._wrong_ when you call me master."

"I-I'm sorry…Link." She looked away from me, before quietly adding, "You have your habits, and I have mine."

Impa worked hard to ingrain many things into me, while my parents also drilled me on proper etiquette and refinements of being a prince. I was curious what those people had done to her, but I couldn't ask her that, at least not yet. I said nothing and she quietly left my room. I turned and went to wash up, still thinking about her past. Both our moods had dropped, but hopefully I would make it up when I showed her the other parts of the castle.

**Whew another chapter finished I hope you liked it tell me what you think in the review as i enjoy read them (A.N A very special thanks to my new partner/co writer Hoozemy this chapter turned out great and I look forward to creating more with you) the more review we get the better our chapters will become thanks all -Swordvsshield**


	4. The Market and The Temple

Zelda POV

_I shouldn't have walked out. That was rude and I wasn't dismissed._

He wouldn't hurt me, would he? Not that I couldn't handle it, but no, he seemed like a genuinely nice person. Oh, what did I know? I hardly knew him at all, I just met him. From this morning he seemed sincerely worried about how I felt when he startled me, and after watching him train it seemed that he was respectful, disciplined and hardworking. Although I have learned that I shouldn't make judgments on how things _seem_.

I was pacing in my room and chewing my bottom lip nervously. The room was bare, I had no possessions, but it was _my_ room. It was comfortably small with a soft bed with a few blankets, a dresser – though I had no clothes to put in it- with a handheld mirror lying on the top, a small closet, and a small circular window. The roo—my room wasn't much, but it was more comfortable than anywhere I had been before, and it was somewhere that I felt at ease. A sudden knock at my door pulled me from my thoughts, I jumped slightly and bumped into my bed causing it to hit against the wall. I went to the door quickly, not wanting anyone to wait on me.

Link POV

I stepped out of the shower with a towel around my waist and went over to the mirror. I looked over myself, my body covered with a few scrapes and numerous bruises, some old and some newly formed, but they made me proud. These marks on my body showed how hard I had worked, and it was certainly something that filled my chest with a fulfilling warmth.

I shook my hair out, though it was still wet after, and got dressed. I made sure my shirt was straightened out before heading out, hoping my hair would be dry by the time I found Zelda.

I knocked on her door, hoping she was in there because it would make things much more difficult if she were somewhere around the castle. I heard a thud; well there was definitely _someone_ in there. Just a few moments later the door opened and there she stood, rubbing her leg.

Something about her caught me off-guard and all I could sputter out was, "H-hi."

Zelda POV

I opened the door and there stood the prince, he looked slightly taken aback. He stuttered out a greeting with a goofy grin. His usually golden hair was a few shades darker and slightly sticking to his face, his shirt was fitted enough to show he had a nice build and it seemed to be the perfect color of green for him.

_Din, he looked good._

NO. No, no. I can't be thinking that. He cleared his throat and I realized I hadn't said anything yet.

"I know, I said I would show you around the castle, but…" his eyes were looking at the room behind me before he looked me up and down. "Would you like to go into town first? We could get you a few things to put in your room, and some more clothes for you and something nice for you to wear at tonight's dinner."

I would have loved to see what the town would be like, but I had no money. Thoroughly embarrassed, I looked away. "I can't pay for—"

"You don't need to. I can take care of that."

"I couldn't possibly have you waste your money on me!" I tried to protest, but he would have none of it.

"It certainly wouldn't be a waste. Please? I want to do this for you, as your friend. I want you to be comfortable and happy here."

I sighed in defeat and I saw a smile light up his face.

We were walking through the doors to get into the courtyard when a voice called out

"Link." We both turned to see Impa leaning against the large doorway. "Be careful." She said, her eyes moving to me and then back to Link, "Take care of her."

Link nodded. "I will, Impa. There are plenty of guards scattered around the town, and besides, you know better than anyone that should a problem arise I can take care of it."

"We should hope so." She said playfully

"Impa…" Link whined.

"Have fun." She said before turning around and heading back into the castle.

Our first stop was the Castle Town tailor shop. When we walked inside I stayed a few steps behind Link. A man was sitting at a desk, working on a piece of grey fabric, looked up and stood immediately when seeing us.

"Hello there, my young prince! What can I do for you today?" he said enthusiastically, walking around the desk to shake Link's hand.

Link turned and to look at me while he spoke, "Well I thought to get something for –"

"And who is this lovely young lady you have with you?" The man interrupted.

"This is my friend, Zelda." He said with a smile. "I thought I could get her a few things here and something special for tonight."

"Ah, yes! A very happy birthday to you, Link."

"Thank you, Arlyn. How is your wife?" Link said politely, but earnestly

"She's doing just fine. I'll call her out here so she can get some measurements going." The man – Arlyn, turned and went to the back of the shop. He came back moments later with a slender woman beside him.

"It's nice to see you again, Your Highness." The woman addressed Link before heading towards me. "Hello, my name is Daena." She held her hand out to me and I shook it.

"I'm Zelda."

She smiled and nodded. "If you would step up right here," she pointed to a small circular platform a few paces away, "Then I will take your measurements."

I stepped on the small platform as the tailor measured and wrote down my various sizes. My attention went back to Link and Arlyn.

"Yes well, with measurements being taken, what can I get for your pretty friend over there?" The man asked.

Link had a finger tapping his chin, "Let's see, a few comfortable outfits for working around the castle, a couple things to wear while not working, a light dress, something to wear while riding, and finally a dress for tonight but," he twisted back and looked me up and down before turning back to the tailor, "a dress that could rival her beauty." He said it quietly to the tailor, but I still heard him. I must have done something to get his attention when I heard him say that because he abruptly turned to look at me, my eyes wide. His expression went from worried and concerned to shocked and fearful while his cheeks began shifting through various shades of pinks and reds. Link turned back to the chuckling owner.

Link POV

_Oh Farore, did she hear me?_

Her surprised expression and nearly falling off the small platform were enough to say, yes, she heard me.

"That's a pretty high standard for a dress, my prince." He said with a smirk as he nudged me.

I composed myself and cleared my throat, "Do you think you could have it made before tonight?"

"Anything for you, Link. We will begin working on it immediately."

"Thank you, it is a privilege to have the best tailors in all of Hyrule so close by."

Arlyn laughed, "You have always been a sweet talker."

He took me over to look at various fabrics that could be used for Zelda's outfits. Once the fabrics were narrowed down to a few, I left the final decision to Arlyn and his wife. We began discussing prices, he tried to take no money but I insisted I pay him.

"Arlyn, would you like for me to have someone come by later to pick up the dress?"

"No, either Daena or I will bring the dress to you personally. I wouldn't want something to happen to our soon to be masterpiece as it was brought to you."

"That's really not necessary. I'm sure it would be safe with one of the guards."

"I insist." The man said with a smile. I knew he wouldn't budge so I accepted his offer to deliver the dress. We decided that he would have the rest of the clothes brought to the castle by one of the guards in a few days.

There was a light tap on my shoulder and I turned around to see the two women standing behind me.

"Are you ready?" Zelda asked.

Zelda POV

"Um, Daena? This dress that you'll be making…" My eyes were downcast.

"Ah, do not worry. I will personally make sure that you will be the most stunning person at the dinner." She said with full confidence.

"No, no. It's not really about that. Will the dress be...revealing?" I was playing with the fabric of my shirt nervously.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Do you want it to be?"

"No, it's just that…" my voice trailed off, I didn't know how to say it.

"You prefer to be a modest one?"

"Not exactly." I chewed at my lip again and looked over at Link, making sure he was still talking and not looking my way. I had never talked to anyone about the bruises and scars, and I didn't really want to. So instead of speaking, I showed her. I pulled down the neckline at the back of my shirt, showing my left shoulder and part of my back and just a portion of the markings. I let go of the shirt and suddenly found the ground to be fascinating.

I knew she was staring at me. "I can assume it was not the prince that did that to you?"

"It wasn't him." I said quietly.

"Does he know?"

I shook my head, still avoiding her eyes. She lightly grabbed my chin and gently forced me to face her. Her brown eyes were warm and sympathetic. She let go on my chin and placed her hand softly on my shoulder. Her eyes were now more firm, certain. "You will be safe with our prince. He is an honorable man." Daena moved back a bit. "And don't worry about the dress; I am sure you will _both_ be happy with it." She said with a smile. "Sweetheart, if you feel that you can't say something to Link, but you need someone to talk to, then you know where to find me. Your secret- if it is a secret- is safe with me."

I smiled to her, her words filling me with a sudden warmth, "Thank you." I said quietly.

We walked over to Link and Arlyn.

I tapped Link's shoulder, and when he turned around I asked him if he was ready to go. We were at the door about to leave when I stopped. Link turned to me with a question in his eyes.

"I'll be right back, I just want to thank them for helping." He nodded and I went back to the couple.

Arlyn turned to me with a smile on his face. "What can I do for you, Zelda?"

"I wanted to thank you both, but I also wanted to ask for your help with something."

They both nodded.

"Well, it's Link's birthday and I was wondering if you could help me get some things that I could use to make his gift."

"Of course, dear, what do you need?" Daena said.

I smiled at them both, telling them what I had planned for him and listed off a few things and listened to their suggestions before heading back to Link.

Link POV

I was leaning up against the wall outside of the tailor shop waiting for Zelda. I kept my head down, trying not to be recognized by too many people. I wasn't trying to avoid anyone, I love my people and I greatly enjoy talking with the crowds, but I didn't want to overload Zelda on her first visit in town.

"Psst, Link." A voice sounded beside me.

I nearly jumped; I hadn't noticed someone had joined me against the wall. I looked over to see a pretty girl, about my age, with long flowing red hair. She wore a cream colored shirt with blue marking on the sleeves, a long purple skirt with a brown front covering and leather riding boots.

"_Farore_, Malon. How long have you been there?" I said trying to slow my rapid heart.

She smiled at me." Not very long."

"What brings you to Castle Town today?"

"Just had a few things to deliver, I was on my way out and then I saw you leaning against the shop. Why are you just standing around her, Prince-boy?" As distasteful as her nicknames for me are, it always makes me a bit happy that Malon is comfortable enough to joke with me.

"I'm waiting for my friend—" I began to explain

"Thanks again for everything!" Zelda called back with a wavy as she walked out of the shop. Her attention moved over to me and Malon, the smile on her face dropped a little. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…" she said uncomfortably.

I pointed to Zelda, "I was waiting for her."

Malon pushed off from the wall and walked over to Zelda who looked somewhat nervous.

"Hi, I'm Malon. A friend of Link's is a friend of mine; it is nice to meet you." She said, holding her hand out to Zelda.

The blonde girl shook her hand. "Um, hello. I'm Zelda."

"Well, I should be heading back. You should bring Epona back for a visit sometime soon, Link. I miss her."

I laughed at her pouting face, "Alright, Malon. Get home safe."

"Thanks, I will. I'll see you sometime. Have a nice day, birthday boy."

When Malon walked off I suggested that we go walk around town a little bit more and then head back to the castle.

I scratched the back of my head, "Sorry about that. Malon can be a bit much sometimes, she's a bit assertive but she's a really great person and one of the few people I can call a friend."

We continued walking around the town, stopping at my favorite bakery to get a few sweets. I pointed out a few fun places we would have to go to sometime.

"Link?" She used my name!

"Yes?"

"Earlier, Malon mentioned Epona. Who is that?"

"She's a mare that I got for my tenth birthday. Malon's family owns the ranch just outside of town and Epona was born there. That's also when I first met Malon; when my family went to look at the horses." I could talk about Epona for hours on end, she is an incredible companion. "She's a magnificent horse. We could go riding sometime." I looked over to Zelda, she had a shy smile.

"I've never been on a horse before." She said quietly.

"I could surely teach you. I can think of a very docile horse that we could put you on. He would be a great horse for a first time rider." I said as I took a bite of a sugar powdered honeybun.

"O-okay, that would be nice."

Zelda POV

After Link had finished showing me a few of his favorite shops and the other hidden treasures of Castle Town, we were almost back at the center plaza when he walked a few steps in front of me before abruptly stopping and turning to face me. He had his hands behind his back, a cheeky grin on his face and he leaned forward, a little too close to my comfort.

"Zelda." He started, "would you like a tour of the castle now?"

I found his theatrics to be a bit funny.

"Sure." I said with a smile.

We veered to the right and I looked over at Link. He noticed me watching him and turned to me.

"Trust me." He said, "You'll enjoy this detour."

With that he was facing forward again and leading the way. We were at the outskirts of Castle Town and walking along a very old looking stone walkway. All the shops and building of Castle Town were now far behind us as we walked through a small pass of greenery. The trees were large and tall, their branches and leaves entwining with each other and some even dipping down far enough that Link had to push them aside. Still following the path, we made it out of the few trees. I noticed Link had stopped walking; he had a small smile on his face, his eyes filled with wonderment. I turned to look at what he was staring at and nearly gasped. I was stunned. A large ornate building stood before us. The building had spires, engravings, sculptures, stained glass windows, and would render any view speechless; it was incredibly beautiful.

Link's voice brought me out of my reverie. "Let's go in."

"Can we?" I looked over at Link, my eyes alight. He nodded.

There was a large gate that was accompanied by two guards, they opened the gate and we walked up the steps to the front of the building. Before entering, I looked up and suddenly felt very miniscule against the building. There was a quiet thud, followed by a soft scraping as Link pushed open one of the massive doors.

"Zelda," Link said as he held the door open for me, "Welcome to the Temple of Time." I walked in with Link following me, and again, I was speechless. This place looked amazing on the outside, but the inside was even more breath taking. The ceiling was very high, chandeliers hanging with adorning crystals that glistened beautifully in the natural light streaming through the numerous windows. Tapestries and cravings garnished the walls. Our footsteps echoed in the soothing silence of the temple. My eyes wide and trying to absorb the beauty of what I was seeing, I was completely and utterly awestruck.

Link POV

I was enjoying watching Zelda as she walked through the temple. She had a goofy grin on her face that she probably didn't even realize she had, and her eyes had an excited glint to them. I continued watching her walk through the Temple, trailing behind her.

Zelda was slightly bent, looking at the inscription on the base of the mantle just below a small set of stairs. "What's this?" She said quietly, I wasn't sure if she was talking to herself, but it was quiet enough in the temple that I was able to hear her

I thought I'd answer her question, even if she was talking to herself.

"It's an Ancient Hylian text that describes the purpose of the gems on the mantle." I pointed to the three gems.

She straightened up and looked back at me, she still had a happy glow about her, "This place is incredible, Link." She said with a smile, before looking about the temple again.

Zelda trotted up the few stairs and looked at the set of large doors curiously. She put her hand to it, "Is there something behind here?"

"Yes, two of the greatest treasures Hyrule has ever known rest behind those doors."

She looked at me amazement in her sapphire eyes. _Nayru she's beautiful_, I mentally scolded myself; a prince cannot fall in love with a common girl. _Well, that doesn't mean I can't take notice of how she looks._No! Do not start anything.

It was then I noticed Zelda's concerned stare, she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Are you well, Link? Please tell me more of these treasure's I'm interested in Hyrule's history."

I nodded "Yes, Zelda I'm fine, thank you for asking. Well the first and most important treasure behind this door is the power of the sacred realm called the Triforce. The wars that ensued because of this power have cost me and Hyrule so much. The Gerudo's began the war for the sacred power, but my father, the king, managed to defeat the Gerudo General, forcing the rest of the troops to retreat. My birth father, Traye, fell in battle to protect me and my mother. My mother was shot in the back with an arrow but managed to find my protector, Impa, before passing on." I was on the verge of tears as my voice trailed off.

Zelda saw this and gave me a comforting hug; "Link…" she seemed at a loss for words for a moment, "that's terrible." She rubbed my back tenderly speaking words filled with compassion. "I'm so sorry, if you ever need someone to talk to I will always be here you, have my word both as a servant and as friend."

I blushed, finally realizing how close we were together but I didn't dare move it felt so right, her body fitting perfectly against mine. I had a moment of pure bliss before coming to my senses and ended the embrace; Zelda had a look of disappointment in her eyes, feeling bad I explained about the second treasure behind the large granite doors.

My face becoming serious "Zelda the second treasure is a blade of unfathomable power it is said it has the power to destroy evil and will only accept one master every one hundred years, it is said that the one who wields it will become the mighty Hero of Time and will banish the evil ones threatening to steal the Triforce."

Zelda stared at the door with utter shock "But Link, wouldn't such a powerful weapon be a colossal weight to bear for this hero? I also wish to know if this legendary relic has a name for the hero's enemy's to utter?"

"Yes Zelda, the burden would be very difficult to bear, but in the sacred texts the wielder will have the courage and spirit to face this burden with his weapon in hand, the weapon's name is The Legendary Master Sword."

**A/N**

**Thank you everyone for reading this story! If anyone has any input on the story please review! Feedback is great. We want you all to enjoy reading this story and your reviews will only make it better. If you have any ideas of something you might want to see or a specific scene or situation, review and it might happen! No promises, but you never know. Would you guys like to see some action and adventure in this story or just a nice fluffy story? For any adventure voters, don't worry there will still be fluff and plenty of it, but the story wouldn't revolve around that. Leave a review for which way you want this story to go! Thanks again, and sorry for the somewhat long A/N**

**See you at the next update!**

~SwordvsShield and hoozemy


	5. Link's birthday partydance

Link POV

We walked out into the lovely afternoon and made our way back on the road to the castle, walking side by side in a comfortable silence. I knew Zelda was still thinking about the temple. I had my hands behind my back and looked over and her, a small grin on my face.

"So.?" I prompted.

She looked at me a little confused, but I said nothing.

Zelda laughed softly, "Alright, I really enjoyed that detour." She admitted.

I looked out to the road again, "Thought you might." I closed my eyes and lifted my face slightly, enjoying the suns warmth. I hummed happily.

We walked up the path and the guards opened the gate that separates the road between the castle and Castle Town. It was feint, but the sound of moving water could be heard off in the distance.

"We are getting closer to our next stop."

"Where would that be?" Zelda asked

I gave her a smile, "It's just up ahead." After a few more minutes of walking we got to our destination. A river. "The river goes right past the castle, the water is as clear as it gets, but it's pretty cold. There's a particular spot I like," I pointed down the river, "under that tree. You get shade, it's a ways off the road so you don't get too much noise, and you have might hear some birds chirping and the nice sound of running water. It's a great place to go when you're trying to sort things out in your mind." Zelda didn't say anything, but I knew she was listening.

"Do you want to go feel the water?" She looked over at me and nodded.

We walked farther off the path and over to the river bed and Zelda stuck her foot in.

She yelped and looked over at me, "You weren't joking. The water is really cold."

I couldn't help but laugh at how she was partly pouting and partly smiling, "If I ever go in, it's for a quick cool down, it has to be an extremely hot day and I only jump in and get out as quickly as I can."

She nodded her head, "I can see why." She shook her foot to dry it before slipping her worn down shoe back on. I made a mental note to get her new shoes soon.

"Next stop?"

We made it into the inner walls of the castle, passing a few guards; I took Zelda to one of the gardens.

"This is my favorite of the three gardens we have."

I saw Zelda with her eyes closed her face lit with a smile.

"It smells so nice here." She said

"That's why this one is my favorite. There's a catch though, it's the most dangerous garden."

Zelda looked at me then, and raised a brow, "Dangerous?"

"Uh-huh. This garden has the most flowers, that's why it smells great, but since it has a lot of flowers there are a lot of bees."

She laughed. Not a soft chuckle, but a full blown, loud laugh.

"Bees? I thought there would be moblins at night or something _scary,_ I wasn't expecting bees."

"Hey! Bees can hurt you! Whatever you do, do not swat at them. They get mad."

Again she raised an eyebrow at me, "Trust me, just don't do it. Personal experience."

I saw her trying to hide a smile. I grumbled under my breath and walked off, assuming she would follow. I plucked a flower on my way out, twirling it between my fingers.

Zelda POV

I noticed Link walking off, and walked a little faster to catch up to him. I saw him playing with something in his hand but I couldn't see what it was from where I stood.

"Where are we going next?"

"To a clearing." He mumbled.

I did my best to stifle a laugh, he was clearly not too happy I had laughed at him. I knew he wasn't actually mad, but I wanted him back to being cheery.

We walked in silence for a few more minutes and I was trying to think of a way to make him happy again. I had an idea.

"Hey, Link?" I called out to him, he didn't answer but I continued anyway, "How old is Epona?"

I saw a falter in his step for a moment; he kept walking but looked over his shoulder briefly, his brows knit together.

"She turned seven a few months ago." He narrowed his eyes at me, "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." I smiled and he was facing away from me again. "Is she a good horse?"

"She's." I could see his body straighten out, he wasn't moping anymore, "She's the best horse in all of Hyrule. She's smart, loyal, loving, brave." He spoke with such admiration and fondness, that it made me smile "Epona is strong, and has incredible amounts of endurance, she has this intuition and an amazing spirit." He stopped walking and looked over at me with a smirk when I caught up to him. I tried to give him an innocent smile, I don't think it worked.

"Come on, we are almost there." He said. He was definitely in a better mood now.

Satisfaction flooded me, _I knew it_.

We rounded a corner and Link walked into a circular clearing surrounded by the castle itself. It was covered in grass, small flowers made a lining against the castle walls, and a single tree towards the back of the clearing.

"Similar to the spot by the river, this is also a nice place to think. It's quiet over here, the guards only pass by every so often, there is only one tree so there aren't too many birds here, but you'll find plenty of butterflies. They seem to like the little pink flowers the most." There was a bench towards the back of the clearing, a few paces to the side of the tree. "This is one of my mother's favorite spots. When I was younger she would bring me here. Sometimes we would talk, or she would give me some sort of lesson, teach me something new, and other times we just sat in silence." He seemed fond of his mother.

There was a rustling in the tree and I tried to suppress my surprise. Link seemed unfazed. Impa dropped down from the tree; she stood from her crouched position.

"Link." She called out, "The Queen is close to returning. Your father would like for you to be with him when she gets back."

Link stood up from the bench, "Thank you Impa, I will be there with him shortly."

She nodded, "He will be waiting for you in the throne room."

I looked at Link and when I looked back, Impa was gone.

_How does she__**do**__that?_

Link turned to the bench and put his hand on it briefly before heading back to the entrance to the clearing. I began to follow him out but looked back at the bench. There was a white rose lying on the wooden bench where he had sat before. I turned back and caught up to Link and walked towards the throne room.

As we got to the throne room the king was talking to one of his knights, the man was middle aged with snow white hair in the form of a Mohawk, he had a very athletic build for his age, Link noticed him as well and smiled at the man obviously knowing something I did not about this man.  
As we proceeded to enter the room, Link stopped before motioning me to bow which I had done without hesitation.  
The King noticed us "Ah Link, my boy, your mother will be arriving shortly, I want you to wait with me here until she arrives." The King then looked at me then back to Link "and please dismiss your friend, for the time being, as I must speak to you before your mother arrives."  
Link looked to me with sad eyes, I smiled and placed my hand on his "Don't worry Link, we will have plenty of time to catch up later, besides I need to make your gift, so this is the perfect time."  
Link gave a playful sigh before dismissing me. I looked back before leaving to see Link smiling back at me I gave a slight blush before heading down to the hall back to my room.

I was almost back to my room when someone called out to me.

"Zelda!" I turned to see Nora; she had a friendly smile on her face.

I folded my hands in front of me and smiled at her, "Hello, Nora."

"How was your morning with the prince?"

The smile on my face grew and I could do nothing to stop it. "It was very nice, thank you."

"That's good to hear. I hope you will come to like it here. By the way, there are a few items that were dropped off at the front gates for you; there was also a note with it."

"Oh! Thank you, Nora." I couldn't wait to get back and start Link's gift

"Will you need help with anything?"

"I don't think so, but will you be somewhere specific where I might find you if I do end up needing help?"

She nodded, "I'll be in the washrooms getting the linens ready for tonight, there are others helping so if you need me, they won't miss me too much."

"Thanks again, Nora."

"You're welcome, now go on. I'm sure you have plenty to do."

With that I rounded the corner to my room. There on my bed was a large package with a note on top. I opened the note first.

In a strong but elegant print it read,

_My Dear Zelda,_

_This package has the fabrics and threads, along with a few tools to help you with your little project. Your dress will be on its way later and Daena will be there to help you with it._

_My best wishes to you_

_~Arlyn_

With a smile on my face I opened the package and I started Link's gift.

Link POV

I stood beside my father as he sat on the throne, when I felt a hand on my arm.

"How was your morning, my son?"

"Impa worked me hard today, but I wouldn't have training any other way."

"Yes, very good very good, you are becoming a fine warrior."

"Thank you. After that, I took Zelda into town and then showed her around the castle, and here I am now waiting for mother to return. It has been a very enjoyable morning."

"Mmm, good. How do you like your new servant?"

"Father, she's a friend. You know how I feel about servants."

"Yes I do, how is your friend adjusting here?" He said with a soft chuckle.

"She's still unsure of things, but I think she is warming up to me."

My father stood and turned to me. He stood taller than me, but not by much. "Link," his face and voice were very serious, "are you happy?"

I was definitely shocked. It was a question I wasn't expecting and my voice caught in my throat.

"Y-yes, I am. Why do you ask, father?"

My father looked out across the throne room and out towards a window with a view of Castle Town.

"I named you my successor, Link. Someday, you will be king. There will be times when you have to make decisions that you will not always be happy with, but that are for the good of the people. I'm sure there will be times when you will question the decisions you make, but you must trust yourself. It is a heavy weight to bear, however stressful or dreary it may be at times, it is also equally rewarding."

"Father? Why are you saying this? What brought all of this up?"

Before my father could answer a guard came into the throne room.

"My King, Your Highness," he bowed to the both of us, "The Queen will be here momentarily."

And as the young guard said, a few seconds later two guards walked into the throne room followed by my mother, along with her small entourage trailing behind her. My mother was a stunning woman; slender while still full bodied, her golden hair cascaded down to her mid back, flawless lightly tanned skin and her bright emerald green eyes could light up any room she entered.

I spared a glance at my father beside me, his eyes locked on his wife and a small grin growing the closer she got, his face showed nothing but the love and adoration he had for his queen. The two guards walking in front of her branches off to her right and left side, her staff that followed her in stopped where they were and took a knee. She continued her way to us; the guards stopped and took a knee at the base of the steps to the throne. The Queen walked up the few steps, held her hand out and curtsied, all the while holding my father's gaze. He took her hand, "My King." She said with a smile.

He bowed to her, and pressed his lips to the hand he held, "My Queen."

I bowed to her, "Welcome back, mother." She moved over to me, a beautiful smile directed towards me.

She stood a few inches shorter than myself and reached her hands up and placed them on either side of my face, "I only wish I could have come back sooner, it's nice to be home." She gave a soft tug with her hands and lightly kissed my cheek, "Happy birthday, Link." My mother turned to those who escorted her into the throne room and gave them a curtsy and thanked them for traveling with her, then kindly dismissed them.

The three of us stayed where we stood until all had left the room. When we were alone, save a few guards stationed at the doors, my father wrapped his wife in his arms, holding her close and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"I missed you, my love." His voice was a soft rumble and my mother hummed happily. I tried to keep my eyes to myself, but I couldn't help but glance over as their love for each other radiated throughout the room. I tried to stifle a chuckle, it didn't work very well.

"Hm? What are you laughing at, boy?" My father said playfully.

My full attention was on them now, my mother had her face towards me but leaning against my father's chest, her arms wrapped lazily around him as his arms circled her back and waist. My face flushed from the embarrassment of getting caught. My mother must have noticed as I heard her laugh quietly.

I scratched my head and smiled at my parents, "I couldn't help but hope that one day I find a love as honest and true as the love the both of you share." I could feel my cheeks heat up again as I spoke.

My mother looked up at my father, confusion gliding across her features before fading away with a warm smile as she looked towards me. She reached out and placed a hand on my cheek, her thumb moving across my skin, "I am sure you will find it, my son."

My father cleared his throat lightly, "There are still a few things to be taken care of before Link's dinner tonight."

My mother pulled back enough to look up at her husband fully, she pat his chest and stepped out of his arms, "Yes, well I wish to catch up with our son first. I will meet with you in a bit to finish up the arrangements." He nodded, placing a chaste kiss on her lips before walking out.

My mother motioned for me to step into the courtyard, as I did I saw mischievousness twinkle in her emerald orbs  
"So my son, how has your training with Impa been going? I hope she isn't pushing you too hard."  
I groaned and scratch my head in embarrassment hoping no one was looking "Aww mom, I'm fine. I _am_ your son after all, and from all those stories about how you and father used to fight side by side on the battlefield, I have a lot to live up to."  
My mother had a faraway look before shaking her head at me "Well I worry about you, honey. You are my only child and I don't want to see you hurt; it's a mother's job to worry."

My mother can be fierce warrior when the time came but other than that she is the best mother anyone could ask for. I respect her as much as I respect my father, and I am fortunate to have been found by such great people.

Remember what I was going to tell her I coughed to get her attention "Hey mom, I need to ask you something."

She turned her full attention to me I could see her warrior spirit in her eyes which was kind of intimidating but at the same time comforting like a wolfos protecting her cubs from any danger

Blushing a little I told her about my new friend and servant Zelda "Well the Gerudo Princess brought me a birthday gift in the form of a servant girl named Zelda, and I know this may seem totally unreasonable but I have a strong connection with this girl, it's not love but I think it might be more than friendship and I am not sure what I am supposed to do. This girl is very kind, she's a bit shy but once you get her talking you'll find she is smart and is very considerate, she's wonderful, mother, and she genuinely cares about me and well... I was hoping to make her my guest for tonight. I know father will probably not approve, but I pray to the goddesses you might side with me one this and convince father to give me this as my birthday present. We had such a great time in the market today and I bought her a dress so she could come with me tonight." as I finished I was out of breath and on the verge of wheezing (hey there is a reason link doesn't talk in the games you know)

My mother had a shocked look on her face but it quickly disappear to be replaced with a loving smile "I will see what I can do Link, but as you know your father can be a stubborn man." My heart sank as I knew she was right, my father would neve- "But as you know, I can be very stubborn as well." My mother said winking at me showing she supported my wish.

My heart began to flutter with all kinds of emotions, but the most potent was love for my mother and her understanding personality.

I ran up to her and hugged her smaller frame into my larger one. She returned the embrace before letting go "Well I am glad you told me so I could help you enjoy your birthday, after all it's not every day my boy becomes 17. You are officially a man now Link, I am so very proud of you."

I smiled down at her before bowing "Thank you, Your Grace." I said out of respect and sheer happiness.

My mother scoffed playfully "Come now son, you know as well as I, we do not like those silly titles" she said before we shared a laugh

"I am glad you are home mother, I've missed you." she smiled lovingly before kissing me on the forehead

"And I have missed you...my baby boy. Now off with you, go find your friend and prepare for your party, I must speak with your father before your special night."

I nodded before waving to her and heading into the castle archway.

I was in my room trying to figure out what I would wear tonight, I had three options laid out on my bed when Nora walked in.

"Hello, Link."

I nodded my hello to her but still looked at the outfits before me, "Nora? Which one do you think I should wear?"

"Mm?" she walked closer and looked around me. "I like the blue one. By the way, the Queen wanted me to tell you, 'Yes.'. That's all she said. Hope you know what she means."

"Oh, okay." I wasn't paying full attention to what she had said and then it hit me, "OH!" I spun around and hugged Nora. "This is a really good day!" I nearly shouted, I hugged her and ran out, leaving a confused woman standing in my room.

Zelda POV

I had begun working on Link's present immediately. After a while, my fingers seemed to go a bit numb, but I didn't mind. I had a mission to finish his gift before tonight. I was fortunate enough that Arlyn and Daena were able to give me Link's measurements. Time seemed to blur as I worked. I was almost done, just finishing the small details. There, done! I held out the tunic, and was happy with my work. There was a loud pounding on my door and I nearly yelped. I placed the gift on my bed and opened my door.

"Oh!" I was surprised to see Link standing there, well not standing, he was hunched over with one hand on his knee and the other against the doorframe to keep himself up. He was breathing heavily but had a goofy grin on his face and a glint to his eyes.

"Zelda!"

"Yes?"

"I know if please dinner tonight." Link has speaking between breathes.

"You are really out of breath. Did you run all the way over here or something?"

"Yes I didn't answer my question." He was still huffing, but stood up straight.

"Oh, right. Um, so your guest at dinner. Your dinner. Because it's your birthday. And you're a prince."

Link was staring at me and my mind went blank. "Correct."

"Is that allowed? I'm just a servant." My voice trailed off.

"Don't worry about that." He waved his hand, and then looked at me seriously. "Look, Zelda. Yes or no." Those blue eyes again, staring straight at me, "Will you be my guest tonight?"

"Yes." No hesitation.

"Great!" He looked like he might jump with joy. "I will come by here in a few hours to take you over to the main hall." I nodded. He spun completely around once and then turned and started walking away. I smiled at his back, he walked away very happy. I closed the door and noticed the tunic on my bed. I ran back to my door and poked my head out.

"Link!" I called out to him. He turned around and looked at me curiously. I grabbed his gift and by the time I opened the door again he was just a few steps away.

"Yes?"

I had the tunic behind my back, "I wanted to give you your gift."

"You got me something?" he looked pleasantly surprised.

I nodded and held the cream colored tunic out to him. He looked at it with wide eyes.

"Wow. This is really nice. Where did you get it? _When_ did you get it?" He gently took it from my hands and was looking over it.

"I, um, made it. I got everything to make it when you were talking with Malon."

Something I said caught his attention and he looked at me in astonishment, "You made this?" he held up his gift and I nodded, "Woah. That's amazing. This is amazing." He put the tunic in my face and I laughed. "Maybe you should open up a shop in Castle Town; you are really good at this kind of stuff." He returned to marveling over the tunic. It was an off white, cream colored, tunic. The sleeves and bottom were trimmed with a gold embroidered pattern. The upper left portion of the tunic was, in the same gold stitching, the triforce being held above a golden bird.

Link turned to me again, "Thank you." He said very earnestly and I smiled at him. "Well, I'll be going, rest up. I will be back in a few hours." He waved and walked out. I lay down on my bed and attempted to nap. I was tired; I had worked hard to get that tunic done. I don't know how long I was asleep, or if I was asleep, I didn't dream but my eyes opened when I heard a knock at my door. I was feeling very popular today with all the visits from people. I got off my bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes and went to open the door. Daena stood there holding a number of things in her arms. I invited her in and she almost immediately got to work, I was very awake now.

3rd Person POV

The dress itself was a cream colored strapless silky satin that fit wonderfully. It matched the color of the tunic that Zelda had made for Link almost perfectly. Zelda couldn't help but think that the tailors had picked the fabric color to match purposefully. Daena helped Zelda into the dress and smoothed it out before pulling Zelda over to a mirror. The fabric was form fitting from her chest to her waist where it then loosened up and fell freely with a small train in the back. Zelda was slowly beginning to panic, the dress was dazzling but it was showing far too much of her marred skin. She was about to speak up when Daena pulled out a few more pieces for the outfit. The first was a pair of long gloves that ended just past her elbow; they were the same off-white color as the dress. The second piece brought a sense of ease through Zelda. It was a shawl, very light blue in color. Daena put it over Zelda's shoulders, and the younger woman felt much more secure with it on. Daena pinned it to the back of the dress, to keep it from moving up and exposing any old and unwanted injury, and pinned it in the front just under both of her arms, so that it would stay over her shoulders. The shawl was loosely pinned and still had some movement, but not so much so, that she would have to worry about someone seeing the scars or bruises.

"Well, there you are dear." Daena said happily, she had gotten Zelda situated in the dress and helped do something with the younger woman's hair. Her has was partially pulled to the back and pinned, keeping it out of her face while still letting her golden hair stream down her back. She just stared at her reflection, she was speechless.

Zelda turned to the tailor, "It's perfect."

Link POV

I put on the tunic Zelda made for me, which fit incredibly perfect, and put on the blue coat, from the outfit Nora picked, over the tunic. After straightening myself out a few times I left my room and made my way over to Zelda. I stood outside her door for a while before knocking lightly. Zelda didn't answer the door, but rather Daena did. I was surprised to see her at the door but I quickly recovered and said hello. I couldn't see anything in Zelda's room with Daena standing in the doorway.

The woman cleared her throat and gave me a funny look, "I present to you, your guest for the night, Zelda." With that Daena moved to the side and I saw Zelda walk towards the door.

She was absolutely stunning. I was probably standing there with my mouth hanging open, but there was nothing I could do. My brain wasn't functioning correctly. All I could think about was the gorgeous woman walking towards me. She saw that I was wearing her gift and her face lit up.

"Thank you for wearing it."

I tugged at my coat and tunic, "It fits wonderfully, thank you for making it. I love it." I was starting to really like that smile of hers.

I held my arm out for her and she placed her hand at my elbow. We walked through the corridors and made our way over to the main hall. As we were walking I told her a few things to expect, and how we would be announced before entering. We were waiting on the other side of the closed doors and I could feel Zelda fidgeting. I smiled and looked over at her, "You're beautiful." I definitely just blurted that out. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and there was a definite blush covering her cheeks.

She looked away and muttered out a shy "Thank you." I probably just made her even more uncomfortable. I was about to say something to try to calm her down, but just then the doors opened and I could immediately feel Zelda tense up and her grip on my arm tightened. I spared a glance over at her, her eyes wide, brows pulled together slightly in worry, and her lips pressed in a tight line.

"Just hold my hand, keep your eyes up. Don't look around, just focus on the King and Queen." I said quietly. I bent slightly and put my lips close to her ear and I noticed her body stiffen again, "Don't worry; I'm right here with you. Relax." I quickly whispered before we started walking in.

I gave her hand a squeeze and she looked up at me. I saw the worry in her eyes, she was nervous. I flashed her a smile and was happy to see some of the worry fade away and a partial smile from her in return. We walked down the middle of the hall, I kept my smile up, not that it was particularly hard, it was a good day. I nodded to various people as we walked. We were before my parents now, I bowed and Zelda curtsied, we then took our seats. I sat to my father's left, my mother to his right, and Zelda to my left.

3rd Person POV

"Tonight we have gathered here in celebration as the Prince of Hyrule takes the next steps in life and ventures into adulthood. I remember the day he turned ten years old and I named my son, Link, my successor." The king turned from the guests to his son, "It has been seven years since then, and not a day goes by that I am not proud to have you as the next king of this kingdom. You have grown into a wonderful young man, and I know, without a doubt that you will be an excellent ruler. I am blessed to have you as my son and I thank you, Link, for all of the joys you have brought." He turned back to the audience, "And I thank each and every one of you for joining us tonight in honor of my son, Link, the future king of Hyrule." With that there was a cheer and clapping. The king raised his glass and all followed his lead by lifting their glasses in the air. Link took his glass and looked over to his guest of the night. She could tell he was looking at her and she turned towards him to see him smiling warmly at her. They tapped their glasses together before taking a drink, the red liquid warming the pit of their stomachs. They had a lavish dinner and a few more speeches were given by nobles that felt they had a connection with Link, even though he felt they only did so in order to try and weasel their way closer to the royals; although, a couple of people did seem sincere and for their toasts, Link was grateful. The night went on and as dinner ended, more socializing continued. Nobles and others from town came by to congratulate Link, or to just get a few words in with the prince. When someone asked about his guest, Link would kindly introduce them to his friend Zelda and when more personal questions started being asked he smoothly changed topics, and for that she was very appreciative. Zelda had been nervous about the night, hoping she could act how she should and say the correct things when they needed to be said. Luckily for her, Link was quick on his feet and often held the conversations between himself and the other guest. After talking with various guests, Link began to move to the center of the room. Zelda's eyes widened when she realized what he was trying to do.

He was holding her hand and guiding her to through the people.

She started to tug back, "L-Link, I can't. I've never-" He turned towards her, his left hand still holding her right. With his right hand he moved it under her left arm and lifted his arm so that her arm moved up where her hand rested on his shoulder. Moving his hand to her lower back, Link pulled her closer to him, he leaned down and she could feel his warm breath at her ear, "Don't worry, I would never let you fall." He began to twirl them around the room; others were already dancing, and more joined when they noticed their prince moving fluidly with his partner. Link held Zelda's gaze with a brilliant smile on his face, while she had a small smile of amazement. Link made dancing seem easy; she followed his movements and didn't worry about anyone else. The few time she stumbled, Link would just pick her up slightly and continue dancing, making it look as if it hadn't even happened; and each time he picked her up, he tightened his hold on her and pulled her closer to himself. Link lifted his eyes off of Zelda for a moment and noticed the King and Queen. His mother looked on at him with a knowing smile, while he noticed that his father kept a blank face. Link and Zelda continued to dance for a large portion of the night, taking breaks to catch their breath, rest their feet, or get something to drink. Zelda had relaxed a bit, she was no longer thinking about all the people; her main focus on the two of them. During one of the breaks they spotted Arlyn getting something to drink. Zelda made her way over to him, wondering where his wife was, but to tell him how much she loved the dress and to express her appreciation for him and his wife helping her.

"Are you enjoying yourself, my prince?" Link tore his gaze away from Zelda and looked over at Impa standing next to him.

"I am having a wonderful time."

They were both looking out at the crowd of guests when Link turned to his guardian. "You know, Impa, I'm not sure that I verbalize it very often, but I wanted to thank you, for everything you have done for me. I can only hope that I reflect some of your teachings."

She smiled at him, "You don't need to speak your thanks, watching you grow and become the wonderful young man that you are, is reward enough for me."

"I wouldn't be the same without you, Impa."

"You mean that in a good way, I hope."

"I mean that I wouldn't be this 'wonderful young man' that you say I am."

"Then I have done something right." She said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Her eyes moved from Link's and he followed her gaze, landing on a certain beautiful blonde. She held her arms out just a little and spun around letting the tailor look at the finished dress. Arlyn grabbed both of her hands and both Imp and Link could see him saying something to her, but neither could hear what he said. The young woman looked like she was laughing whole heartedly. "Be careful, Link." Impa's voice brought him back.

"She won't hurt me." He said playfully, trying to think how that would even pan out if she were to try something on him. "With all your training I doubt she would even get near me."

Impa chuckled and shook her head, "Not what I meant." He looked at her questioningly, "Be careful _with her_."

"Oh."

Link stood just beside his father's chair and addressed the guests, "I thank you all for gathering here tonight. I am honored to have you all here to celebrate the seventeenth anniversary of my birth. I am now to retire to my room. But please, my guests stay and eat and drink and dance, enjoy yourselves." With Link's goodnight speech he bowed to the guests then turned to his parents and spoke to them. He kept his voice to a more personal level so that only those close around him could hear, rather than the whole room. "Thank you both, for this life you have given me. I am blessed to be your son. Though I am not of your body, I am certainly of your spirit. Goodnight, mother, father." Link shook the king's hand and gave him a hug.

"I am grateful to be your father." The King said as he embraced his son.

Moving to his mother, Link brought her into a hug and gave her a kiss on the side of her head. She pulled back slightly and put a hand on his cheek, smiling up at him. "Happy birthday, Link." She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear, "I want to talk soon." When Link moved away he saw her give him a knowing smile, he nervously laughed and went to back to his guest.

After a long night, Link walked Zelda back to her room. Zelda turned to face Link, her back facing the door. They both stood there for a moment, smiling at each other. Zelda's right hand moved up to adjust the shawl over her left shoulder while still looking up at Link, the gesture reminded him of something he noticed earlier in the night and his smile faded. She noticed his change of face, her right hand sliding down her arm and stopping at her elbow.

"Zelda?" His voice soft, "When we were dancing and I spun you around, I um.I saw part of your back."

She held her breath, she didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want him to know about it. What would he do? She saw the sad look in his eyes, she didn't want his pity. There was nothing he could do about it now; she just wanted to move on. He reached out and grabbed her left hand lightly, like he might hurt her if he held it too tight.

"It's nothing, Link." She looked away and tried to pull her hand free from his.

He held on, and his face hardened slightly, "That's a lie. You were hurt. That is not nothing."

She looked up at him, holding his eyes "Look Link," Her voice a bit stronger than before, but still partially weak, Zelda pulled her hand back, "I'm fine. I'm not some broken._thing_ that needs to be fixed."

His face softened again, "No, you certainly are not a _thing_. You're not broken either; I think you are much too strong to ever be broken. But just because you aren't broken, doesn't mean you're not hurt."

He was picking away at the walls she put up, whatever he was doing it was working; whether it be his soothing voice, sincere words, simple gestures, or worried eyes, he was doing _something_ that made her want to trust him, something that made her want to talk to him.

"I want to help you. You're my friend and I want to do what I can for you, whether that be me simply being with you or pulling some strings as the prince, just know that I'm here for you." He spoke kindly and encouragingly. "Something more important than that though," Zelda wasn't sure if it was just the lighting, but his eyes seemed to darken a little, "I want you to know, that no matter what happens, I will never hurt you." With that her walls were crumbling, they were almost gone.

She bit her lip, "It's just that I am wary to put my faith in people. It's nothing against you specifically, it's just."

"Hard." She nodded, "That's understandable."

She stepped back until he was up against the door and while still facing Link she reached back to open it. He saw her take another step back into her room.

"Zelda, wait!" He wanted to move towards her, but he didn't want to push her too far either. She stood there, holding her door open, her eyes on the floor.

" in for a moment." She said quietly.

Link walked in and Zelda closed the door behind him.

Zelda walked in front of him and faced the wall, her side to him. She unhooked the shawl and placed it on her bed. Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she moved her long hair out of the way and stood there. Link moved behind her and looked on in horror. The dress didn't have a particularly low back, but it was strapless and showed enough skin for him to see. His fingers lightly trailed over a few scars. There were pale lines all across her back which was also spotted with old yellow bruises and newer bluish purple bruises.

"Are there more?" Link's voice was tight. Zelda nodded and he dropped his hand. The prince closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. He stood there quietly trying to calm himself long enough for Zelda to get curious about his silence. She looked over her shoulder to see his face filled with emotions: pain, anger, sorrow.

"This happened when you were with the Gerudo." He said between his teeth. It should have been a question, but it wasn't.

Zelda let out a soft sigh, "Let's just say it was how I was taught to be a good servant." She could have sworn she heard him growl when she said that.

"I swear to you that will not happen here." He seethed. He opened his eyes and immediately got caught in her gaze. His eyes drained of their rage and were filled with sorrow. She dropped her eyes, she didn't want him to feel sorry for her, she just wanted him to treat her normally.

His fingers skimmed over some of the scars again, the light touch sending shivers through her body.

"Did it always hurt?" his voice was hardly above a whisper.

"It was a pain that someone never got used to."

"Does it still hurt?"

"Yes." She said quietly, "Though this pain is something that I've somewhat gotten used to. It's a constant dull ache that I tend to not notice." Zelda turned to face him, and she saw how sad he looked, as if he blamed himself for what happened.

"How much is there?" It took her a moment to understand the question.

She kept her eyes on anything but Link, she couldn't look at him."The bruises are mostly all over my back and my sides. The scars . A majority of them are faded but still visible, arms, legs, back, front." Her fingers were playing with the material of her dress.

"I know this isn't helpful, but I am so sorry. I am so sorry, Zelda."

She stayed quiet, not knowing how to respond.

"Thank you for letting me know." Link said.

"Thank caring."

He smiled softly before making his way to the exit of her room.

He stopped in her doorway for a moment, "Listen, Zelda. I was thinking." His voice was back to normal.

"Yes?"

Link turned around to face her and closed the door. "I have a request to ask of you."

"Oh, okay." She was a little skeptical, but let him continue.

He rubbed the back of his neck and smiled almost shyly. "It's sort of a longer term thing, almost like a job. I wanted to ask if you would be ."

"Watcher?" She had no idea what he was talking about.

"Mm, I don't really know what to call it, there's no real title that I can think of, but someone to keep me in line. Someone who will tell me when they think I'm stepping out of line. Someone who will not withhold their opinion on the things I do. Often times, people shy away from telling me their true thoughts because of my title. In all honest, it's not very helpful. I think hearing what people have to say is important and it would be refreshing to have someone that would speak their mind freely with me."

"That sounds . You would have me do this for you?" Zelda felt truly honored, but was slightly confused, "You don't even know me, but you would ask me to be this watcher?"

He smiled a bit, "I'd like to get to know you," He was burning her soul with his eyes, those bright blue eyes, those eyes that made her mind fuzzy "I trust you, I recognize that I just met you and hardly know you, I don't know why, but I do. You haven't given me a reason not to, and for some reason I just trust you. My father's watcher is my mother, and sometimes Impa, though she is more formal that my mother with her opinion. I'd like someone to speak freely with me. Someone who isn't afraid to yell at me for doing something completely idiotic, someone that will keep me grounded and not wandering aimlessly in anything I do."

"I don't know."

"I understand if you aren't comfortable with it, and you are fully able to decline my request. If you do accept, it doesn't have to be tomorrow or the day after, but if you feel comfortable enough with me that you can forget titles and ranks and just be Link and Zelda, and you accept, then I would be truly grateful."

There was a silence for a few moments before Zelda spoke up, "I , that you are asking this of me. Right now, I don't think I can be this 'watcher' that you want me to be." His heart dropped, "But, I think that maybe, _maybe_, I can be sometime in the future." She said with a soft smile, a smile that he graciously returned.

Link took in a deep breath and let it out, "Thank you." He said happily. Link took her hand and bending down a little he pressed his lips to her hand, all the while keeping his eyes locked on hers. He straightened but held her hand just a while longer, "Goodnight." He said as he turned and walked to her door. Zelda whispered out a goodnight as he was walking through her door. Both of them with a smile on their faces as they tried to find sleep.

Hey readers! Thanks so much for checking out this story it really means a lot! Please please please review. It seriously helps. Shout out anything. What could be improved about the story, things that you like about it, things you don't like. How are the characters developing? Do you want to see more of a certain character? Is there a favorite character of yours that you want to show up? REVIEW! This story is for all you readers so if you don't like it then that's not good. Those reviews also make writing easier and chapters will come out faster with your motivation.


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